Ryerson Art+Design Magazine (RADmag) was born out of a vision to create a medium of celebration, inspiration, and collaboration — to celebrate and showcase the work of students in Photography, Fashion, and Interior Design, to provide an outlet to inspire one another and the world at large, and aid in connecting students in these related visual disciplines.

I sat down with Giuliana Rucchetto, a recent graduate of the Fashion Communication program, to delve deeper into her whirlwind four year experience at Ryerson University. With an incredibly sharp eye, a passion for photography and a breathtaking hardcover book to show for her final capstone project (that brought her to Mass Exodus no less), it’s no wonder she confessed to feeling “like I felt every emotion in this program.” Introducing me to the harmony between music and fashion, Rucchetto blends the line between cool and creative and took me along for the ride to see so for myself.

Katie Ferreira: If you could explain a little bit more about capstone: what was your thesis and how exactly did you come up with your topic?

Giuliana Rucchetto: I think I just came up with the topic because it's what I do everyday. When I get up I'm listening to music and picking out an outfit and, based on what I'm listening to in the morning, that dictates what I wear throughout the day. It's just something that I've always loved and it's always been a part of my everyday life and I know it's a part of so many other people's everyday lives too. [I wanted to] figure out the connection between the two…so I was like "let's take these three and put them together in a book and make it beautiful.”

KF: Was there anything that you recommend people going into the class should know about before they start?

GR: You're going to have a mental breakdown—you will. It happens around December. You might want to change your whole topic and that's okay. [Your professors] will help you, they're not going to tell you no because it's ultimately a culmination of four years of what you've learned. And it's going to be amazing if you actually care about the topic. Don't just pick a topic because you think it's going to be pretty or visually appealing. You can make anything visually appealing. Just pick something that you really, really love and are passionate about and then it all kind of just falls together.

KF: Were there any skills you learned from the program that you find personally very meaningful or useful nowadays?

GR: Patience. No I'm serious, I'm not even joking about that. Patience and being very meticulous with things. When I see posters...before this program, I would've looked at something and been like "oh wow that's so pretty! Great!" And now see things on the street and I'm standing there, angry, because I'm like "that ’T’ should've been shorter! It should've been closer to the ‘E’!” I am so meticulous at picking things out now—and yes, very patient as well...I feel like maybe they were more like life skills then they were actual creative tools. You can apply them to everyday life.

KF: What would you recommend to people starting in Fashion Communication or to people who are going into their final year?

GR: People starting in fashion: make sure that you really, really want to be in the fashion industry. Make sure that that is your absolute passion and that you're willing to put in work because, otherwise, you will have wasted your time in this program. For people going into fourth year: when you're stressing out and freaking out [over thesis], just remember that this is a culmination of everything that you've done. Even when you're feeling down and you're just like "I'm going to do this using to get it done,” don't. Breathe. Do it the next day when you can actually think straight because this should be something you're passionate about and something that you really want to do. You've been in school for almost four year and at this point it should be something that you've learned—all these skills that you've acquired—you're putting it to the test so don't just throw it away because you're too tired or too bored or you don't want to finish it.

KF: Have you been working on anything since graduation or are you just taking a break?

GR: I took a break. I for sure took a break after capstone; I was winded and done [laughs]. But I did a few freelance things for people—it was all word of mouth, I don't think anyone say me from social media or anything like that—but just people who knew me and recommended me to someone else. I shot a couple of things for people, there might be some potential things in the future, I don't know completely yet, and trying to update my website. I really need to fix it, it's bothering me so much.

KF: Before university, was there a certain career path you wanted to follow? If so, did you find that it stayed the same or ended up going a different way?

GR: I wanted to work for a magazine. I don't know what I wanted to do there but I wanted to work for a fashion magazine. I was like, " I'm going to be at Vogue when I'm done school" and here I am, I'm not at Vogue, but maybe one day [laughs]. But it did change. I think now I'm more into art direction then I was working in a magazine, whether that's working at a magazine doing art direction or freelance art direction on photoshoots. It's definitely changed throughout the four years and each year it's changed to something different.

KF: Do you have any plans for yourself in the future?

I want to move to New York Katie! [laughs] That's what I want to do. I want to move to New York, I want to be an art director as just be there because it's so exciting and happening there. Not to say that Toronto's not exciting and happening but...it's New York. In the future, if I'm seeing my perfect world right now, I would be a photographer or an art director for magazines that are already recognizable like Vogue—or even Paper because it's weird. It's a weird magazine.

KF: Do you think that you're going to go abroad?

GR: Yes. I hope so. I think they're potential here [in Toronto], I definitely think there is, but I just have this gut feeling that I won't stay here. I don't know why I just don't think I will.